


Love and Games

by NikAdair



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Canon Universe, Post S8, anniversary date, fair ground date, flashbacks and present events, just two boys happily in love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-16
Updated: 2019-07-16
Packaged: 2020-06-29 11:14:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,768
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19829008
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NikAdair/pseuds/NikAdair
Summary: Normalcy was never something Keith thought they'd get after the war. Nor was dating Lance ever something he'd thought would happen. And yet, after what felt like a lifetime of impossible things happening, he somehow got them.





	Love and Games

**Author's Note:**

> So this fic was originally written for the Stars Align SFW Klance Zine! This event was so fun to participate in, and both the SFW and NSFW zines are free to download!  
> This was beta'd by the wonderful andrew-blep on Tumblr. Thank you taking the time to beta this!!

Light poured over chain link fence, strings of coloured fairy lights weaving this way and that, from one pole to the next. Excited screams came from the various rides. People milled about, eating snacks and holding prizes. After everything they’d gone through, Keith didn’t think they’d ever have normalcy again. Not for a long while.

“Keith, come on, don’t just stand there, I wanna ride something,” Lance said, tugging at his hand. Keith rolled his eyes a little, smiling as Lance pulled him through the entrance. The smell of sweat and sugar hit him, and he scrunched his nose at the assault. Of course it would smell like this. It felt like the temperature skyrocketed as soon as they stepped through the gate.

Lance let go of his hand, weaving through people as he made his way to the ticket booth. Keith looked around at the rigged games and the various food stands. Behind them were rides - winding roller coasters, a massive Ferris wheel, even a few rides meant for the kids pulling on their parent's hands. An odd sight after having spent so many years in space.

Well, not entirely odd. It had been a year since they defeated the Galra and got settled back on Earth. It had been a transition - the first few months Keith barely slept, flashbacks and nightmares keeping him up at night. He’d been back and forth between rehabilitation missions and Earth, so the memories of being in space were always fresh in his mind.

“Alright, I’ve got the tickets, let’s go ride some rides man!” Lance said excitedly as he bounded back towards him. He had a fist full of tickets, his eyes already scanning behind him. Keith plucked half the tickets from him, knowing that if he let Lance keep them, he’d force him onto rides he didn’t want to even be near. As in any of the roller coasters.

They wound their way behind the booths, Keith taking note of the ones he knew he could win in less than five tries. His specialty was the throwing games - ring tosses, baseball throws, the type. It came with his training with the Blade. It fit well with the fact that Lance could destroy anyone in a shooting game. His eyes caught a booth that was giving away stuffed sharks, and he made a mental note to stop by that one before they left.

Lance led them to a ride that spun while lifting them in the air. It reminded Keith of the simulations they’d run while they were back at the Garrison. Back before everything they’d done with Voltron even began. It felt like a separate lifetime - his life before being in space. He’d never once thought he’d have gone through an intergalactic war. Then again, he never imagined he’d be with Lance either.

That in and of itself was an adventure. Years spent in space together, of him denying his feelings for Lance. Time spent distancing himself, of doing what he could to make sure that Lance didn’t have to be in so many space fights. He did what he could to protect him by leaving Voltron. It wasn’t until the whole Clone Shiro disaster happened that he realized that the best way to protect him was to be there for him.

After the war ended, Lance was there, helping him readjust to life away from space. While Lance helped run his family farm; Keith would visit him after time spent helping other planets. A simple life for him, but a satisfying one nonetheless. Or so he likes to say. “I may be working here, but I do teach classes at the Garrison. Gotta put all this space knowledge to work somehow,” Lance had said one day when Keith had asked.

Lance had had a hard time letting go of Allura the first two months back on Earth. Keith hadn’t realized how deep his love for her ran until he found him sitting in a juniberry field one night, looking up at the stars and talking to her. Telling her about how his day had been. Telling her about his family. Telling her about him, his visits, the stories that he would tell him.

It was then that Keith vowed to make sure that Lance never went through that again. It was when he’d made his resolve to confess to Lance. Tell him how he felt. The repressed feelings he’d been hiding all that time. A few months later, at Lance’s family’s Christmas party, after a few drinks and a late night walk, Keith told Lance.

“You know, you always said you wanted to fall in love with an alien back when we were in space. I always thought that was weird. But then I found out I was an alien, or part alien anyway,” Keith said, his voice a little slurred. They were under a tree, their feet propped up on the trunk, looking up at the stars.

“I didn’t think you’d actually remember that,” Lance said, his voice soft. Keith hummed. It was quiet, Keith knowing that Lance was expecting him to continue. His thoughts were running a little slow, so it took him a minute to figure out what he wanted to say.

“I always wondered why you always chased after her. I guess I know now.” Keith’s voice was barely a whisper. Even with the warmth of the drinks running through his veins, it still made him nervous to confess. Lance turned to look at him, an eyebrow quirked. Keith turned to look back at him.

“What do you mean?” Lance asked, his voice falling to the same level as Keith’s own. It sent a shiver down his spine, and Keith played it off in a stretch. Not a very convincing one, if the look Lance gave him was any indication. But it was the best he could do.

“I’m in love with you,” Keith whispered, looking back up at the stars. He didn’t want to know what look Lance would give him. Didn’t want to watch him as he waited for a response that would either tell him that he felt the same or that he was wrong to confess. He let the silence do the waiting for him.

It felt like such a long wait, the silence grew stifling for him before Lance spoke again. “I’ve thought about that for a while now. About my feelings towards you. About the fact that you visit me so much. I always thought there was something more, but I never wanted to believe it.” Lance took a breath. Keith could hear a shakiness to it. “I was scared that it was just me being hopeful.”

A spark went through him, and Keith turned to look back at Lance. “I’m in love with you too.” A breath of a voice. A whisper on the wind. But Keith could hear it, clear as day. It made his heart hammer in his chest. Made his breath catch in his throat. It was like an explosion of colour on a blank canvas. A feeling that Keith had longed to feel, and was finally able to.

That was six months ago. Six months to the day. It’s why they were at this fair - an anniversary celebration. Lance’s idea, really. Though Keith might have suggested it, bringing up the fact that it was soon and that their anniversary sat in the middle of that time. It was why they were in front of this ride, handing tickets to the operator and being seated and strapped in.

“Don’t go puking on me Mullet. I’ll never forgive you if you do,” Lance said, practically bouncing in his seat. Keith laughed, looking over at him. At his shining eyes that caught the light. At that vibrant smile that put even the brightest stars to shame. At caramel skin and spotted freckles and ruffled hair. Everything about him that Keith loved.

“Bold words coming from the one who decided to eat not only his lunch but half of mine before coming here,” Keith shot back, smirking as Lance’s smile dropped, replaced with a scowl. He rolled his eyes, wrapping an arm around his shoulder and pulling Lance towards him. “I wouldn’t have you any other way though.”

Lance relaxed into him, and Keith enjoyed the contact. He didn’t get much time though. The ride started up and he was being thrown against the side of the car. Lance laughed, clawing his way back over as Keith fought to stay upright. They were lifted into the air, and it reminded him of being in space, the weightlessness a familiar feeling.

The ride didn’t last long, a few minutes at most. They got off on wobbly legs, they’re bodies needing time to feel like they weren’t actually moving anymore. As soon as they could stand still, Lance was dragging him towards another ride. They ended up at a roller coaster, and while Keith wanted to protest, Lance’s puppy dog eyes destroyed any argument he had, and he reluctantly agreed.

They piled into the car, the safety bar falling onto their laps. Again, Lance was practically bouncing as the operator got everyone else settled into their seats. Keith had a death grip on the bar, his knuckles white from the force. They jolted forward, the mechanical clicks sounding as they were pulled out from the platform. A steep climb started, and Keith’s grip got almost painfully tight.

Lance rested a hand on his arm, giving it a squeeze. “Relax Keith, you’re gonna hurt yourself if you don’t. I’m here, nothing will happen.” Keith glanced at him, seeing reassurance on his face. It didn’t do much, but Keith relaxed his grip a little, no longer feeling pain. They reached the top of the climb, and Keith looked down the track.

They stayed suspended for a second before shooting down and immediately hitting a curve. Keith was forced into a lean towards Lance, who had his hands in the air, screaming. They went through a few more curves before coming to a loop. His grip tightened again as they shot along the track, the blood briefly rushing to his head as they went upside down before being righted.

It was disorienting, to say the least. They rolled over a few bumps and slowed down once they arrived back at the platform. Lance was out of breath from yelling, and Keith’s hands felt tight even after letting go of the bar. They got off, and Keith stretched his hands a few times, trying to rid them of some of their tension. “See? It wasn’t so bad.” Keith shot Lance a look before stalking out of the gate.

“Alright, we went on the roller coaster. Now it’s time for games like you promised,” Keith said, taking Lance’s hand and pulling him towards the booths. Lance laughed but allowed himself to be dragged, putting up zero fight whatsoever. Instead, he intertwined their fingers, pulling Keith closer to him as they walked.

They started at one end, a water shooting game, where Lance naturally won in a single go. He won a stuffed bear, which he put in his bag. “Gonna give this to Veronica - to give to Acxa since we both know Acxa would end up being the one to win it for her.” Keith laughed, knowing all too well how true that was.

They traded back and forth on the games, winning prizes to give to Lance’s family - or their family. Keith had been accepted as part of it almost immediately, to the extent that Lance’s mom refused to respond to anything except “Mama” from Keith. It’d been embarrassing at first, especially when Krolia would come with him for a visit. But he’d grown used to it. He was happy to be apart of a family as big as Lance’s.

They came to the ring toss booth that was giving away lions, and Keith was determined to get one for Lance. “How about you get us some funnel cake? You’ve seen me win these a million times. I’ll meet you at the Ferris wheel,” Keith said, hoping Lance wouldn’t try to argue him into staying.

Lance bit his lip but nodded. “Okay. But don’t take too long or I’m eating your funnel cake.” Keith laughed, giving him a quick kiss before waving him off. Lance turned with a half-hearted huff, blowing him a second kiss. Keith smiled, turning his attention back to the game. “Let’s get this lion.”

He handed the operator three tickets and was handed three rings in return. “Easy game kid. Get all three rings to land and you win a prize.” Keith nodded, eyes scanning the bottles. He threw one ring, watching it bounce off the lip of one and landing on another. He threw the second one, this one landing straight onto one. He hesitated before throwing the third.

Keith had tried to replicate what he’d done on the first throw, even going so far as throwing it on the same bottle. He’d overshot it, and it flew towards the last row of bottles. The edge hit the lip of the bottle, and it bounced to the side. Keith watched as it hit another bottle, catching just enough to land around the lip. “Oh yeah!” Keith cheered.

The operator laughed, taking one of the lions off the peg and handing it Keith. “I’ve never seen anyone get as excited about winning this game as you. Enjoy the prize,” he said, still laughing. Keith’s cheeks flushed and he took the lion, saying a quick ‘thank you’ before darting off into the crowd.

Lance was sitting at one of the tables situated by the Ferris wheel, his back towards Keith. He snuck up on him, the lion held against his chest. “Roar!” Keith yelled, piling the stuffed animal on top of Lance’s head. He jumped, spinning around and almost knocking Keith over. Keith was laughing, doubled over while the lion was held up high.

“Keith, what the heck?!” Lance shouted. Keith took a few breaths, calming down enough to stand up. He held the lion out towards Lance, who blinked, smiled, and reached forward. “This is adorable. I’m gonna name her Blue.”

“Of course you’d name her Blue,” Keith said, sitting next to him and taking his funnel cake. The smell of sugar and oil was intoxicating, and he took a large bite, knowing that he had powdered sugar all over his face. Lance’s laugh was evidence enough.

“I gotta honour her. She saved me more times than I can count,” Lance said, setting Blue on the table while they ate their funnel cake. He was right. All the lions had saved them more times than they could count. Keith knew that first hand with Black. Heck, Black had literally kept Shiro safe inside him even in death.

They didn’t take long to eat - both of them had grown hungry from the rides and games. Keith took their trash and threw it away, coming back to take Lance’s hand. “Come on, one more ride before we head home.” He led them to the Ferris wheel. Lance’s face lit up - it was one of his favourite rides.

“After you, my good sir,” Lance said, bowing as best he could with a lion held against his chest to let Keith through the gate first. Keith smiled, nodding a thank you as he walked to the carriage. Lance sat close against him as the bar fell onto their laps, the ride starting shortly after. They stopped a few times as more people got on, continuing to climb to the top of the ride.

They stopped for longer once they hit the top. Keith could see the entire fairground. There were hundreds of people walking around. They looked so small from where he sat. It reminded him of how small the stars looked from Earth.

“This has got to be the best anniversary we’ve had, by far,” Lance said, leaning his head on Keith’s shoulder. He hugged the lion tighter to him, and Keith smiled down at him. He wrapped an arm around Lance’s shoulder, holding him close.

“I can’t think of anyone I’d rather spend it with,” Keith whispered. Lance hummed happily, looking up at Keith. “I love you, Lance.” He leaned down and met Lance in a kiss, a quick one, but one full of love. Love that he’d had for him for so many years. Love that he would always give him. Love that Keith knew would never fade, no matter what. He loved Lance, and nothing would ever change that.

**Author's Note:**

> So I'm not gonna lie, I wrote this all in one night at around 3am and very much sleep deprived. This was also originally going to have art to go with it, but the artist and I had a falling out and they eventually dropped the event. But this fic was definitely something I enjoyed being able to write, and I really hope y'all enjoyed reading it.


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